1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data storage disc carriers. More particularly, the present invention relates to data storage disc carriers for holding at least one data storage disc during rotation.
The discs may be arranged to have data written on them either magnetically or optically. Examples of such data storage discs include hard and floppy magnetic discs and CD ROMs.
2. Description of Related Art
One type of existing carrier, which may be used for carrying discs when writing tracks onto the discs, has a disc hub in the form of a tube. Storage discs may be mounted on the hub, with the tube passing through their bores and with spacers between each disc. The discs are clamped to the hub by a T section axial shaft. A tail portion of the T section axial shaft passes through the centre of the hub and is held in position by an axial clamping mechanism. A broad end or “head” of the shaft bears on discs and spacers, clamping them in position.
When storage discs are to be mounted on or removed from the central hub, the T section axial shaft is completely removed from the central hub so that the head of the shaft no longer caps the hub.
During the processing of storage discs it is desirable to keep the discs clean and free from scratches or other damage that may be caused by dirt and other contaminants. However, it has been found that removing the T section axial shaft of some existing carriers can draw oil and other material up through the central hub from the clamping mechanism. This can lead to contaminants falling onto storage discs as the T section axial shaft is removed.
In some instances, the processing of discs is automated. During such an automated process, insertion or removal of the T section axial shaft may be performed by a robot arm acting on the head of the T section axial shaft. The presence of a robot arm above the storage discs further increases the risk of dirt and other contaminants falling on the storage discs.